Dr. Joyce Brothers Dies at Age 85

Dr. Joyce Brothers, the psychologist whose career included a syndicated column, books, stints on television and in film, has died.

She was 85.

Brothers passed away Monday in New York City, although no cause of death has been revealed.

Brothers first rose to fame by winning the top prize in 1955 while a contestant on ‘The $64,000 Question,’ becoming the first woman to do so.

To compete, Brothers memorized 20 volumes of a boxing encyclopedia, as part of her area of expertise.

She was later cleared of any wrongdoing when the scandal over fixing on the show broke out.

Winning the show opened many doors for her career. She worked as a boxing analyst for CBS before her wealth of knowledge in the psychology field earned her a show, called ‘The Dr. Joyce Brothers Show.’ It would mark the beginning of a career that lasted over 40 years and saw her appear on everything from ‘Happy Days’ to ‘ALF’ to ‘Analyze That’ to ‘The Tonight Show.' She also penned a column for 'Good Housekeeping' that ran for nearly four decades.

She was known for talking about topics that often weren't discussed, including sex and menopause, as well as her stance on women's rights and often times doling out advice while on shows to callers whose backgrounds were not told to her.